If you were a huge festival goer before you had kids, but now think going to Glastonbury or a visit to The Isle of Wight is off limits to you until your offspring are old enough to be left alone at home for an entire weekend, well think again. Festivals are far more kid friendly than first immediately thought, plus some are set up purely with families in mind.
Here is our guide on how to not only survive a festival with your kids, but actually have an enjoyable time.
Packing Is Key
While in the past you may have taken an age to plan your festival outfits that have just the right amount of boho cool, if you go to a festival with your children, pack in a similarly conscientious way. Kids, as all parents know, need a fair amount of stuff, whatever their age. However for a festival it’s a good idea to pack the following for your children: ear defenders, layers, waterproofs and maybe a portable potty depending on their age. If you are taking more than one child, separate their stuff within your bag by allocating them a pillowcase each. That way, you quickly and easily identify each child’s things straight away.
Get The Right Tent
Take your time researching a tent that will suit your needs as a family. Some families like to have a spare room where they can dump their bags and store any other large items to give them more space in their sleeping area. Others will require a tent tall enough to stand up in, in at least one compartment. Others like to have a porch where dirty items can be left outside. There really is a tent for everyone and every budget out there, but some research will be needed to get it right.
Set Some Ground Rules
Just because you are camping, it doesn’t mean that some rules you set at home can be broken. Some are probably more important to uphold so that camping is a happy experience for all. It’s a good idea for everyone to learn that shoes, especially wellies should be left outside, to save mud being dragged inside.
Remember It’s A Holiday For Everyone
This means that everyone should get a turn at doing something they enjoy. If you are simply going from activity to activity that are only pleasing your little ones, you may not as well have tried to go to a festival in the first place and simply had a staycation. Similarly, little ones may not enjoy going for music set to music set listening to music that does not interest them.
You Can Pack Life’s Luxuries
This may mean a duvet to some people or a kettle to others. Remember that whatever works for you and helps create a happy few days is ok. If you need to take Ewan the Sheep with you to get your little bub off to sleep at night, then so be it! Packing light is not necessarily better in this instance!
Consider Glamping
Glamping may be a more expensive way of camping, but if you book early enough, you can often get a good deal that is worth its weight in gold. Standards can vary but if you are able to have a shower every day and the loos are clean, you’ll already be getting your money’s worth. Plus if you think about your festival trip as a proper holiday, that extra bit of luxury can go a long way, yet still be so much cheaper than a package holiday to Europe.
Pack A Wagon!
One of the worst things about going to a festival for the weekend is the getting all your stuff that you have painstakingly packed from the car to the campsite. Plus, if you have children with little legs, getting around the festival itself can be a slow business. It therefore may sound a bit much at first, but packing a wagon can be a true saving grace. It will make your life so much easier throughout the weekend for getting from a to b.
Food and Snacks
Taking your own food, drink and snacks that you can easily take around with you during a day at a festival can save you a ton of money when you have kids in tow. Plus it can save you from witnessing meltdowns that tired and hungry kids can so often have. Food that doesn’t need refrigeration is obviously best as well as fodder that needs minimal preparation.
Don’t Forget Lighting
Lighting in your tent can stop unnecessary accidents happening so it pays to think about it a little before you set off. Only having one torch between a whole family in a tent with several compartments will make life very difficult in the middle of the night, so look into camping lanterns, head torches and solar powered bulbs. Little kids in particular love head torches and they’re a great way of giving them that little bit of independence.
Hand Sanitizer Is A God Send
Any mother who is an avid festival goer will probably have shares in hand sanitizer companies. They are a lifesaver even when you go to a festival without children in tow, but when you bring your brood with you, they are key. You no longer have to worry about them touching the door handles in loos or worse. Always have a bottle of this in your day bag and you can help protect your little one from picking up bugs over the weekend.
So all it takes is a little bit more planning than usual to have a successful trip, en famille, to a festival. Kids tend not to get so concerned as adults about order and cleanliness either, so embrace this fact as well as acknowledging that any routines they have will go straight out the window. Festivals are relatively short affairs so most children will be robust enough to handle a couple of late nights – leaving their parents to relive their youth by drinking cider and wearing ironic sunglasses with questionable headwear!